Is the U.S. spying on everyone, everywhere — including you? Are your most intimate, personal pictures, emails, instant messages, Facebook postings, and more ending up in Uncle Sam’s electronic archives?

Boy, is it easy to conclude that’s the case from some fresh, blockbuster reporting in the Washington Post this weekend.

The newspaper spent the last several months culling through data provided by whistleblower and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. It also conducted its own follow-up reporting and research.

The Post’s goal? To determine how many average Americans and foreigners are getting swept up in the vastly expanded electronic eavesdropping net the U.S. government is casting these days — even when they have done absolutely nothing wrong and when their material has zero intelligence value.

Well, it turns out that nine of 10 account holders the Post analyzed were just innocently caught up in the fishing expeditions. The material collected ranges from racy photos and intimate conversations to confidential medical records and childhood school transcripts. Americans and non-Americans alike were swept up, with at least several hundred American accounts not “minimized” (in NSA jargon, that’s when analysts black out references to Americans to provide a modicum of privacy protection).

“Many readers don’t buy the idea that the job market is healthy again.”

All told, the Post said it combed through 160,000 email and IM conversations. It also reviewed 7,900 other documents spread across 11,000 online accounts. The information came from a government dragnet conducted between 2009 and 2012.

But apparently, the U.S. isn’t stopping at this kind of electronic spying in an attempt to ferret out enemies of the state. Separate reports over the weekend indicate that we recruited and obtained confidential information from a 31-year-old worker for Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND. Germany has historically been one of our closest allies.

In an ironic twist, the material reportedly included information on an investigation the German parliament is conducting into Snowden’s allegations about previous U.S. spying on Germany. That included the alleged tapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone!

Allegations that the U.S. tapped Merkel’s cell phone are sure to damage our relationship with Germany.

In my mind, these kinds of reports only make Americans more skeptical of Big Government. They raise serious questions about how our personal and private documents and photos are being accessed and used without our permission and for no legitimate reason.

They will also further damage our relationship with countries in Europe, particularly Germany. We’ve been having a hard time getting them on board with things like anti-Russian sanctions over interference in Crimea and Ukraine, and cooperation should be even harder to come by.

So I’m curious about your thoughts here. Are you worried about your privacy? Is there a legitimate reason for these kinds of surveillance programs, and are they protecting us from those who would do us harm? Or do you think they waste too much time and effort, and push us further down a dangerous path toward a “Big Brother” society? What practical steps would you recommend to your fellow investors to keep their materials safe and secure? Let me know by commenting here.

OUR READERS SPEAK

I’ve had a chance to digest the comments that have come in over the long holiday weekend. And if there’s one thing that seems to be coming through, it’s that many readers don’t buy the idea that the job market is healthy again.

Reader Mike G. put it this way: “The jobs numbers were not that good at all. I would also add that the labor participation rate dropped to 35-year lows and the wages were basically flat.

“In my opinion the market went up not because the jobs numbers were good but to the contrary and that the Fed would have to keep interest rates low. The jobs numbers headline is simply more western media propaganda that would make the old Soviet Pravda news agency blush.”

At the same time, Reader Robert said that the Fed’s response to weak job figures or weak growth overall will simply cause more problems down the road. His comments: “The party’s goin’ great! Everybody’s getting drunk on all the financial stimulus … it’s wonderful!

“Never mind the fight that’s sure to break out later … the real fireworks haven’t even started yet … and if we don’t get locked up, who’ll be sober enough to drive us home?? We don’t even want to think about the awful hangover in the morning … There are a lot of similarities between our 4th of July celebrations and the current economic situation, huh?”

My take? I hear ya’ when you say there are some issues with the jobs numbers. The government’s inflation figures are even more suspect. But virtually ALL the data is telling the same story — things ARE better than they were a few years ago.

It doesn’t mean we have a 1990s-style, powerful recovery. But neither do we have a 2006-09-style mega-recession/credit crisis. Interest rates make no sense at current levels, given the improvement in the economy and the pickup in inflation. And neither do “recession trades” like the ones I had no problem recommending in the mid-2000s when the housing market was starting to crash.

So sure, stay skeptical about the things it pays to be skeptical about (the artificially low level of interest rates, for instance). But don’t miss out on promising investments in all the powerful sectors I’ve been recommending — aerospace, health care, food and beverage, domestic energy, industrials, and more!

My Safe Money subscribers have been making money on many, many picks in those sectors. All you have to do to get your hands on the same kind of valuable information is give us a call at 800-291-8545!

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS OF THE DAY

We didn’t see as much deal activity this post-Fourth Monday. But one that did catch my eye was Archer Daniels Midland(Weiss Ratings: ADM, B+) and its $3 billion purchase of Wild Flavors. The Zug, Switzerland-based firm provides oils, powders, flavorings and seasonings to more than 3,000 companies in the food and beverage industry. Yum!

How many different markets have the world’s biggest banks manipulated in the last few years? I’ve lost count! So when it comes to gold, the World Gold Council is trying to modernize and improve the process by which gold price benchmarks are fixed daily. It’s bringing together interested parties on all sides of the debate in London. Let’s hope something concrete and beneficial comes out of the meeting!

You know I believe interest rates are going to rise, sooner rather than later. But here’s the counterargument, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times. I don’t agree with it, but figured I would share it anyway to help you more thoroughly understand the debate.

Reminder: You can let me know what you think by putting your comments here.

Until next time,

Mike Larson

Mike Larson graduated from Boston University with a B.S. degree in Journalism and a B.A. degree in English in 1998, and went to work for Bankrate.com. There, he learned the mortgage and interest rates markets inside and out. Mike then joined Weiss Research in 2001. He is the editor of Safe Money Report. He is often quoted by the Washington Post, Reuters, Dow Jones Newswires, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and Sun-Sentinel, and he has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg Television and CNBC.

{62 comments }

AllenMonday, July 7, 2014 at 5:41 pm

To Mike Larson:
I asked my son your question recently. He works in the financial industry’s Internet security arena. He said use cash and accept no receipt. Beyond that it is collected by somebody and analyzed, not always our government.

MaryMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:02 pm

I have been wiretapped, computer invaded. and stalked by a maniac with the navy/marine terrorist task force since July,2009. I can verify who the person is and his wife. I had never used web cam but thought I would try it out to entertain them. After two years of his stupidity, I started to put the the story out to local delegates, the Naval Academy and others. As if all these people aren’ t corrupt and will do something about it!
I have no fear of these people but I would like to know what they are afraid of. When people like this try to terrorize others, you know they are trying to cover up their lies. I think I have led a relatively good life and have always cared about about the well-being of our society. I am honored to be on their list and will continue to care.

MaryTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 4:04 pm

I did not give any details of my spying experience but if I had and you knew who these people represented themselves as, sheeple would be a little less complacent. As they were moving in nextdoor to me, I was smart enough to pick up on what was going on. Banging on my house in the middle of the night, spraying chemicals in my window and damaging property was part of it. The big laugh was when the wife told me she sent a report in to “them” that said I just liked politics and she did too. Sick people that relish control

Butch BarberMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:05 pm

With regards to the NSA spying, if 9 out of 10 Americans were innocently caught up in the fishing expeditions, why wasn’t their information deleted? Why is the NSA holding on to personal information of innocent people when those people are in no way a threat to national security. The information should be scanned for real threats (vs perceived threats) and if no threat exist, the information should be dumped. Ask the IRS how, they seem to be the experts at getting rid of information.

JulieMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:46 pm

TRUE!

JulieMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:46 pm

TRUE!

BobSMonday, July 7, 2014 at 9:47 pm

The obvious explanation for why the data were never thrown out, is that the Intelligence (sic) Community can collect data much faster than they can store it. In 1995, Bill Clinton asked Hillary Clinton for a list of keywords that might indicate an American was planning to attack the US government. As part of a panicked response to the bomb attack on the Alfred Murrah Federal Office Bldg in Oklahoma, NSA began searching a database that it’s satellite over Cuba, had collected, from Russian radio transmissions between a Russian spy base outside Havana, and the FSB’s Moscow headquarters. Hillary’s team put in the names of various kinds of guns and other ordnance. Then somebody got the bright idea to use the word “meter” as a search term. In retrospect, the team guessed that hunters of American ethnicity probably measured in US Customary units, and buyers of military armament would follow the worldwide custom, of measuring killing machines in metric units just as Nato and the US military do.

What none of the bluebloods on that hastily-convened committee realized, is that the entire US automotive industry specified everything it then bought, in metric units. The dragnet sent out to find John Doe Number One and two, choked on a torrent of records…everyone from science teachers to Olympic hopefuls to nurses to physicians to thousands of engineers designing cars, was caught using the word “meter”. At which point, reportedly, NSA’s computers locked up and needed to reboot, and a backup system had to be activated.
It’s an intriguing story.

A lot of paranoid people steal and hoard data.

Most have no idea what to do with the data they collect.

And there are two dangers associated with the practice.
1. A sufficiently paranoid ruler might kill people he or she suspects to oppose him or her. The existence of 4 books on a shelf was, in Pol Pot’s Cambodia, sufficient reason to put the reader to death. We must never allow some unanswered questions in an NSA database, to justify our government in murdering anybody.

2. Habitually collecting more data than can reasonably be analyzed, is costly. Gen Douglas MacArthur, addressing the Class of 1954 at West Point, cautioned that “A defense too expensive to sustain, is no defense at all.” If, in the course of collecting a complete copy of every email ever written and every digital photo ever snapped, we squander so much money, that there’s not enough cash left to buy army boots and potatoes for boiling, the US will become helpless to resist a conventional attack. And if we are too dumb to see that risk, our sworn enemies are not.

JonMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:10 pm

Buy guns & ammo!

JOSEPH ARTUSAMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:31 pm

THE DOW WILL REACH 31,000 IN TWO YEARS.WHY? BECAUSE ALL THE WORLD’S RICH ARE SELLING BONDS,AND SEEKING THE SAFETY OF THE SOLID COMPANIES OF OUR STOCK MARKETS.THIS GIVES EVERY INVESTOR A SECOND CHANCE TO BECOME RICH.

Max NighMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:37 pm

1. Assume they (NSA) have everything you do in communication systems.\
2. Support independent news gathering firms and be well read on what is happening.
3. Vote local politics as a start and continue up the chain, with your opinion.
4.Contribute no money to Democratic or Republican party coffers.
5. View both parties as one and the same, with their support the same.

DeanMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:39 pm

We cannot predict nor can we control who in the future will have access to these records. The information collected can and will be used by the same people with the power to redefine crime, and that places us all in danger.

TonyTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 10:07 pm

Folks,

Use you heads. Ain’t no way they can amalgamate that data–too much of it. Ain’t no way they can search it for “terrorists”–too much of it. There ain’t no use for such a massive amount of data in toto.

HOWEVER, it is a different story if you wish all the data ON A PARTICULAR PERSON. Such a situation is quite manageable. No, you ain’t gonna search that massive amount of data and pick out someone–BUT, to take an arbitrary common name (like John Roberts), it is totally manageable to obtain all the information on a particular person and investigate THAT.

Hence, the only way such data can be used is to indentify the target person a priori and zero in on THAT information. Of course, given email/phone contacts, one can then peruse those contacts and gather THEIR information.

Of course, our government wouldn’t use such information for political advantage–would it?

JulieMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:45 pm

You said it in a nutshell, Big Gov. is spying on its citizens not to weed out the jihadists, Its allowing them freely into the Country and placing them in powerful positions in the Country, they are spying on their Political Opponents in order to punish and intimidate them! A complete criminal and unfair advantage!

MikeMonday, July 7, 2014 at 6:53 pm

Mr. Larson: You “hope” something will come of today’s meeting about “fixing” the price of gold. Whistling past the graveyard…….

• 34 “delegates” attended today’s meeting, representing central banks, bullion banks, exchanges, refiners
• A single benchmark price is preferred
• Other points: local London price important, “imperative” for price discovery continuity, locally and physically settled solution needed
“We are at the start of a process that will lead to a reformed and modernized gold benchmark will attracts a broader range of market participants:” Natalie Dempster, managing director, central banks and public policy
“There was strong support for the World Gold Council’s key principles for reform”
What all of the above means is that all participants in the rigged gold market, especially the central bankers, are adamant that the rigging continues in some form, preferably once again determined by a handful of market participants (participants which unlike Barclays will hopefully not be caught red-handed with rigging the price of gold), or as the phrase went, “local London price important “imperative” for price discovery continuity.” Considering there is zero price discovery in a rigged market by definition, what this double negative statement simply said is that there should be zero visibility into the supply and demand forces that really set the price of gold.

In fact, if anything, as we have said previously – somewhat cynically – the only thing that is sure as a result of the “gold fix” reform is an entrenched standard that is even more susceptible for rigging and manipulation.

None of the above should come as a surprise.

And the reason why none of this should be a surprise is precisely what the stunner in today’s meeting was. It comes in the form of the person who chaired today’s World Gold Council session on London gold-fixing transparency and reform.

Meet John Nugee, World Gold Council chairman, and the man who spent the bulk of his career at the Bank of England where his most recent post was Chief Manager of the bank’s Reserves. The man who assisted and “consulted” Gordon Brown (a man so clueless about finance he didn’t and still doesn’t have any idea what a carry trade is, let alone one in gold) the man who was Chief Manager of the Bank of England’s reserves (all reserves) when Britain commenced its gold dumping campaign intended to, as usual, bail the big banks whose gold shorting trades had gone horribly wrong, the man – John Nugee – is the same man tasked with making the London gold fix fair, efficient, transparent and unrigged.

One can’t make this up.

craigMonday, July 7, 2014 at 7:00 pm

I have absolutely no problem with the NSA looking at every phone call, email, upload to the internet, in the interest of national security. I have little doubt that their supercomputers will never end up with suits or swat teams visiting my front (and back) door.

BobMonday, July 7, 2014 at 7:16 pm

Same here. It would be a waste of their time for them to delve into any of my activities.

JamesMonday, July 7, 2014 at 7:21 pm

No different than China and Russia, and most other non-democratic countries (many) that don’t believe in the freedom of their citizens. That’s one thing that always made the US stand out-and now it’s gone.

Gilbert WMonday, July 7, 2014 at 7:22 pm

Toward Big Brother? Sir, we are already there. The ends are the same, just the means are different. Rather than a screen with Big Brother’s face everywhere, we have pc’s, smart phones, televisions and cars watching or recording our every move. Poliitical correctness is the precursor to Newspeak. I only hope there is no Room 101.

D.R.Monday, July 7, 2014 at 7:28 pm

A monitored person is not a free person. Moreover, the government can use the information it gathers in any way it wants, including compiling it into “secret evidence,” and if that results in an innocent person being snatched up and held in detention indefinitely or destroyed by a hellfire missile, nobody can be held to account. A government that is totally unfettered and totally unaccountable to it’s citizens is not a democracy.

Bob Marcum, Sr.Monday, July 7, 2014 at 7:41 pm

The only way to stop this problem,s to quit asking whether-or-not we should be concerned.
Of course, we should be concerned ( a-long-time-ago ). It’s time to stand up, and be counted. Those with any kind of political or financial resousces, should step up and give a
helping hand, to those who need somebody to cover-their-backs ( i.e./ thw 21 year old man, in California, who’s up against legal charges, for holding an “Impeach Obama” sign at an
overpass. He’s being punished, for trying to use his 1st amendment rights. There are too many to count, anymore, who are fighting the fight alone. We the people need to organize, quietly; then, hit hard. But; let’s start, by assisting those who are trying to set the example, and lead. At present, they’re being left out to dry, in the heat of obama’s state.

tradewindsMonday, July 7, 2014 at 7:44 pm

There’s nothing wrong with our government that getting rid of the “Council on Foreign Relations” and all their close associates (the FED, the big bankers, the big tax exempt foundations, etc.) wouldn’t take care of. The problem is that this seems to be a bridge too far because the “mind” of the country (of “we the people”) seems unable to grasp that it is they (the CFR) that is the source of this problem. A citizenry that understands this problem and moves against it decisively at the ballot box (assuming the elections aren’t rigged … and that’s a big assumption) is the key to restoring our Constitutional government … and of course also trying the CFR and their cohorts for treason against the country … because what they are doing actually is treasonous.
The problem is that the country isn’t able to gather this kind of clarity and perspective. So Big Brother it is. Get used to it.

And I still want to know … is the “Martin Weiss” I found listed in the member roster on the Council on Foreign Relation’s web site the same Martin Weiss of Weiss research. Tell me Mike … can you bring yourself to level with me on that?

Al DouglasMonday, July 7, 2014 at 7:50 pm

I’m with u mike I think rates r going up by the end of the year

NancyMonday, July 7, 2014 at 7:55 pm

what do you think of a country where the IRS is trying to put an 84 year old, blind in on eye
woman with arthritis out of her fully owned home for a miscalculated (by IRS) tax debt for
1997 that her accountant didn’t file, but stole all of her money.

BevMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:04 pm

I’m more concerned about business and Internet companies collecting my personal information and selling it than the government screening my phone calls and e-mails to check for terrorists.
To protect my privacy and limit my chances of identity theft
* I refuse to give my cell-phone number to Internet services and businesses
* Pay cash whenever possible except for business expenses
* Make internet purchases over the phone when possible instead of on the computer
* Do almost all my banking in person inside banks instead of on the Internet
* Refuse to provide personal information on surveys
* Limit the amount of information I provide to financial institutions by only providing what is absolutely necessary.
* Avoid saving my log-in and password information on my computer
* Assume that I am being watched by hidden cameras in public places and that my e-mail providers read my e-mails and that businesses share my personal information. Then I try to avoid saying, doing or writing things that I would be ashamed of. If I want information kept private, I tell it directly to people in person in a private setting.

I hope the government continues to scrutinize e-mails and phone calls as a means of preventing terrorist attacks. I would rather not get blown up than not have the government search e-mails.

RobertMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:11 pm

As for GOLD… with the Usual suspects in charge of the meetings to fix the fix on Gold. Be assured that everyone except the Central Bankers, Fed owners (the families that own the Banks not the Banks) will get much wealthier not the individual Gold holders. The FED and its voting shareholders need to be HUNG by the neck as the traitors that they are. And the US treasury department ALL management and political appointees as well.

The IRS needs to be abolished. And the government cut down at all levels. FED, State, and local. The only way to root out the evil government is to shut off its funds and hang the higher ups. To keep the SWAT Teams honest… But they are I fear all Bad Cops now. Most of the Good Cops have by now quit.

The average American is waking up still too slowly and hopefully a lot faster… not much time left to save themselves from the real and very nasty end coming around the bend. I am too old to worry about myself but I worry about the Socialist State that is now here for my children and grandchildren. I hope Christ intervenes soon.

Another American Revolution is necessary… Not the French revolution Genocide.

Be Blessed.

Ron BrownMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:12 pm

This is not Rocket Science, it’s called a Court Order. We are a society of rules that everyone needs to play by. Unfortunately our rogue government has decided rules are for every one else except government.

mwbMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:24 pm

What they are doing is outrageous.

DarrellMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:26 pm

Mike, I really think everyone is upset about nothing. Our government is so trustworthy that they would do nothing that is illegal- not even a smidgen of corruption I am sure because I have heard the most transparent president of all times, Barak Husain Obama say it many times. He is very honest and so transparent that everyone should be able to see through him.
Now if I never write again it will probably be because I have been detained on some mental restraint- (for my own good of course)

Pete OMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:44 pm

The Germans and a lot of other people are very concerned about American interference in Ukraine and Crimea

GeraldinaMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:50 pm

I don’t know where to begin with this. But what if other governments started spying on the NSA it self and reveal their information? What if other countries would do that? I am sure the government would ok all of it with a smile.
Everyone would be very happy.

JerryMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:56 pm

Is this the USA or is our Leader? in the white house ,trying to turn the country into the NEW russia.I can’t beleave that the american people can give up there bill of rights and not hanging some politins,or telling them to GO TO HELL!

JanMonday, July 7, 2014 at 8:56 pm

Are you kidding?? The government definitely cannot be trusted. Yes, they are going way overboard in inteferring in our personal lives and information. The excuse is security but I do believe something far greater is up their “sleeve”………and it is NOT for the benefit
of the people. They (government) have already broken so many laws
with our Constitutional rights. Am surprised they are getting away with it.

ThomasMonday, July 7, 2014 at 9:03 pm

The Government is totally out of control has been since at least 2000 when we couldn’t even elect a President with out the Supreme Court getting involved. In 2001 the Government took complete control of every thing. What an atrocity!

Chuck BurtonMonday, July 7, 2014 at 9:16 pm

Governments are run by politicians, and politicians ALWAYS try to get away with as much as they can in order to build their power and wealth. And we-the-sheeple generally egg them on – at least up to a point. I see no sign that sheeple have had nearly enough, yet. We still prefer to believe the liars…err, politicians.

LorenMonday, July 7, 2014 at 9:42 pm

ONE OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS, THOMAS JEFFERSON SAID THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FEAR THE PEOPLE, TODAY THE PEOPLE FEAR THE GOVERNMENT.
WE HAD CLINTON ELIMINATE THE GLASS SEGAL ACT
WE HAD G W BUSH GET US IN A FALSE WAR AND STARTING THE FAKE WARE ON TERRORISM
WE HAVE OBAMA DESTROYING THE CONSTITUTION
THE POWERS THAT BE DO NOT GIVE US PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES THAT COULD BUCK THE SYSTEM. HOW ABOUT JESSE VENTURA FOR PRESIDENT

anthony gMonday, July 7, 2014 at 9:48 pm

I hope that rates rise soon. It is a way to prevent the collapse of the financial system. The crony capitalistic system is full of mal investment.

RandyMonday, July 7, 2014 at 10:20 pm

This Administration is totally out of control and the President must be Impeached because he ‘s broken Constitutional Law over and over again and he acts alone as a dictator usurping the legislstive process of Congress. He’s allowed politics to be the overarching theme of his Presidency to the detriment of pressing priorities this nation must deal with head on. He acts as though he’s above the law and at this point he’s proven just that . We have a Congress who has allowed him to run around the world doing anything he wants and it ‘s time for articles of Impeachment to be initiated. Look at poor Nixon. He looks like a saint compared to this clown. My God people, when is enough, enough!

Ed JohnsonMonday, July 7, 2014 at 10:31 pm

In 1967 my Economics Professor advised us to ” remember Cash is untraceable”. So perhaps cash is the best way to slip under the Gov’t radar. But the media comments about the wonderful recovery are fictitious. Dinner crowds at local eateries are down by 40%. We recently went to a local restaurant at prime dining time. No problem getting a table without waiting. Last year a visit to the same establishment at prime dining time would have meant at least a 20 minute wait. Some local stores have closed. Others are operating at reduced hours and inventories are low. Even the local Dollar Stores are not doing a robust business. But the politicians are not concerned about this. They are more interested in providing education, food and shelter to floods of illegal immigrants. Why? the politicians are more interested in building blocks of voters who will mindlessly keep them in office. The hopes and incentives for the American workers to improve their lot by education and industry are being pushed aside by our politicians who are only interested in being re-elected.

ArthurMonday, July 7, 2014 at 10:40 pm

I wonder how much of our 17 trillion dollar debt arose from spying on American and foreign friendly governments.

Scott HuntMonday, July 7, 2014 at 11:57 pm

Hi Mark,
The boys and girls at the NSA need to team up with the IRS. That way Americans will know the the job will be done right. Never mind those pesky computer crashes. Toss in a dash of Obama Care and you have the full package.
I feel very comfortable that our tax dollars are being squandered, I mean spent in the best interest of the citizens and friends of the USA.

Those kind words should keep me off the IRS audit list.

fredTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 12:58 am

The founders of this country knew the tendency of government was to grow itself. There is always one more do-gooder scheme to get involved in – after all, it is always and forever “for the children”.

Our ruling class is currently on a tear to increase the scope and size of government by making everyone fearful and dependent one way or another on big-brother.

While the 9-11 tragedy was admittedly horrific – taken in context, auto accidents kill nearly 10 times as meany people each year.

But look at the freedom we have given up
— our women are fondled at the airports
– – no-knock ninja suited militarized police invade our houses in the middle of the night with impunity
– – our boats, homes, automobiles and other possessions are confiscated without trial under the forfeiture laws (which allow confiscation on “suspicion” of criminal activity)
– – the IRS targets political adversaries and then somehow loses incriminating e-mails
— and the NSA snoops on our e-mails, phone calls and Facebook pages without any kind of warrant in complete violation of the 4th amendment.

Obama promised to fundamentally change America. He has succeeded.

Hitler would be proud.

I myself, am ashamed.

G BishopTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 4:06 am

Is this data collection like a two way street? Can they plant data in your email as well as intercept it?

robert kutzTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 6:42 am

Mr. Bishop:
The answer to your question is “Yes, they can plant data or change data as well as monitor it.” And it goes much further than that. For example, it is a very easy thing to change a loudspeaker into a microphone. What is really inside of your TV or computer? What is really inside the micro-chips that were designed and manufactured by our longtime friends of Japan and China? What Snowden is talking about is old technology that predates the ‘70s; it is just easier now than it was then.

Judy YorgasonTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 4:25 am

No one is mentioning STAGFLATION which is what we are truly in right now. The incorrect reporting by our government does not help in the least. Not enough money to pay the high prices of items.

I remember the things that happened in the 70’s as that is when we were raising our kids. Quietly the cereal boxes got smaller, but kept the same price, the toilet paper rolls were sized down to 4″ wide from the previous 4 1/2″ to 5″ (all of these things I am mentioning are happening today. Cans of food, and other boxes of food were getting smaller amounts in them. Gold, silver, tin, glass, etc. began to disappear or became much more difficult to buy. Fruit bottle caps became few and far between for those of us who bottled, canned fruit & vegetables for the Winter. Interest rates shot up to 16% and 20%. We got by because in those days we could sell our properties which were 4% mortgages to those who could buy our previous loans, and get another loan to pay us back. Oil and gas also shot up. My husband & I went to work on a 3 horsepower Honda motorcycle. We got by with our own ingenuity, not Uncle Sam’s or the Fed’s.

robert kutzTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 6:31 am

The behavior of a nation’s secret service is an indication of the morality of that nation and the morality of our society has been declining for decades. Can this snooping be stopped? No because once we stopped communicating by wire and started communicating by microwave, i.e. wireless, we opened ourselves to being freely monitored by anyone, be they government or hacker, with the ability to listen on the frequency of the communication and the desire to control the individual and the equipment able to perform this monitoring is cheaply available commercially to anyone who wishes to purchase it.

J.R.Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 6:37 am

Advise every citizen to real thoroughly public document: PCLOB, January 23, 2014
PCLOB’S report on NSA surveillance concludes, “Based on the information provided to the Board,, we have not identified a single instance involving a threat to the United States in which the telephone records program made a concrete difference in the outcome of a counterterrorism investigation. Moreover, we are aware of no instance in which the program contributed to the discovery of a previously unknown terrorist plot or the disruption of a terrorist attack.” PCLOB p. 146

“Beyond such individual privacy intrusions, permitting the government to routinely collect the calling records of the entire nation fundamentally shifts the balance of power between the state and its citizens.” PCLOB p. 12

J.R.Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 6:40 am

This NSA program:
1) is challenged legally and constitutionally to this day.
2) Is not consistently productive of actionable intelligence to the FBI. PCLOB p146
3) Is not IT contemporary, warp fast, and targeted as required by FISA law and by the complicated and constant fast-moving threat of terrorism to provide actionable intelligence to law enforcement, which is why it is ineffective per the PCLOB report.
4) Seems to have no chance of being successful with its bulk collection obsession whereby..”human eyes are laid on less that .0001% of individuals information…”
PCLOB p216
5) with no significant counter-terrorism results, it is a waste of billions of dollars of taxpayers money;
6) Has unacceptable poor security in that its analysts have been able to use it illegally, even by accident (PCLOB p50) and clearly at least the entire basic system was accessed and copied extensively (reportedly 1.7 million pages) by an NSA outsider, Mr. Snowden, an employee in a contracted corporation of the NSA, and released to the world;
7) “The telephone records program fails to comply with Section 215 (of the USA PATRIOT Act). First, the telephone records acquired under the program have no
connection to any specific FBI investigation at the time of their collection PCLOB p 10;
8) does not have a fully independent audit trail available 24/7 for oversight or juridical requirements;
9) its very existence appears to block the national, federal, and city, law enforcement from considering to handle their law enforcement requirements for telephone data effectively on their own, with other more targeted systems; as their professional understanding of what is needed for terrorist and criminal investigations is superior to that of any purely intelligence agency, such as the NSA. (For example, see PCLOB p 217, in a “Separate Statement: by Board Member Elisabeth Collins Cook.
10) Finally, why is the US military allowed to intercept and hold indefinitely all the telephone and email date of the civilian citizens of the USA? It is not a law enforcement agency. That is the business only of the civilian federal police, the FBI as was originally envisioned by the FISA laws to deal with telephone data. NSA was originally designed to deal only with foreign intercept data and code breaking and did until 9/11.

MikeTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 7:11 am

The main thing everyone needs to understand is that the program, as used is unconstitutional and the constitution is supposed to be the law of the land. The current admin. is a lawless entity and very few from either party seem to have an interest in uppholding the law of the land. Out of the hundreds of word files on my computer, there were 2 files that laid out what I believe to be the crimes of the current admin.. I would cut and paste it onto online blogs in an attempt to wake up the sleeping masses. Suddenly, both of those files came up as corrupt. No other files were corrupted. As a test, I created a new file and cut and pasted that onto online blogs. Within 2 days that file was erased from my computer memory. It’s clear that someone in this admin. wants to scrub anything that sheds light on the truth from the media. It is both lawlessness and utter corruption. The MSM won’t touch the lawlessness and it’s clear that they do not want anything but their controlled message from getting out to the public. I never thought I would see the day of soviet style media control but it is here in spades. I have written my representatives numerous times, of course to no avail.. We need a third and fourth political party that will abide by the laws and adhere to honesty. Publicly fund all elections with multiple more parties and maybe, just maybe, we will get our representative govt. back.

Bill HulleyTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 8:41 am

Why should our government respond any different than that of Japan when they tanked so many years ago?? Let the interest rates stay low and savers pay for our governments mis-takes..The model has worked all these years..Big business is the government, so the only opportunity to stay even is with equity investments..

RonTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 8:44 am

Our Government is spending so much time and effort spying on its friends and its citizens; it has lost sight of everything outside of its sphere of influence. No, I am not afraid of the Big Brother syndrome; the system will collapse in on itself long before that happens, brought on by the belief that what it is doing is actually making the citizens safe, when it isn’t.

JeffTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 10:14 am

I’d post a comment about how we will need a civil war to get rid of a big brother type of government but then I’d be worried about federal agents showing up at my door. Now I’m going to have to get a new email account!

ChuckTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 10:34 am

Information will be collected for decades upon decades to come and there is nothing you can do about it. Don’t think it’s just people in power that can collect your information and make your life hell. Not saying we should throw our hands up and surrender to the inevitable. Better yet, what we all should do is educate ourselves and let go of the conspiracy theory. Try to understand the issue at hands and deny ourselves the ability of being had by those that love to over embellish things and make things a bigger issue than what they really are. Have faith in our nation and it’s citizens. Persuade all of them to remain educated and to know our constitution and the way our country should be ran. Information will be collected, at times personal information, at the sake of national security. It is inevitable and sometimes we must entrust in those we vote into office to do the right thing with that information…same as we do when we entrust in a bank teller to not steal from us every time we visit our financial institutions. I really don’t think this issue is as big as everyone likes to believe. I fear Google more than I do the NSA… Smoke and mirrors is what I chalk it up to be. Partisan shenanigans that are happening up on capitol hill is what should gain our attention.

ChuckTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 10:37 am

Information will be collected for decades upon decades to come and there is nothing you can do about it. Don’t think it’s just people in power that can collect your information and make your life hell. Not saying we should throw our hands up and surrender to the inevitable. Better yet, what we all should do is educate ourselves and let go of the conspiracy theory. Try to understand the issue at hands and deny ourselves the ability of being had by those that love to over embellish things and make things a bigger issue than what they really are. Have faith in our nation and it’s citizens. Persuade all of them to remain educated and to know our constitution and the way our country should be ran. Information will be collected, at times personal information, for the sake of national security. It is inevitable and sometimes we must entrust in those we vote into office to do the right thing with that information…same as we do when we entrust in a bank teller to not steal from us every time we visit our financial institutions. I really don’t think this issue is as big as everyone likes to believe. I fear Google more than I do the NSA… Smoke and mirrors is what I chalk it up to be. Partisan shenanigans that are happening up on capitol hill is what should gain our attention.

Bob F.Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 10:51 am

We’ve got the most paranoid Administration in my memory in D.C. We’ve got large, influential corporations that believe they have a right to obtain personal information by any means necessary to enhance their profitability. Our medical records are no longer confidential. Hell yes, it’s got me very concerned!

RayTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 11:02 am

Trust in our government has left many people wondering how long before trust in the dollar disapears and becomes a fiat of the past.

Tom BeachTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 11:20 am

This reply comment is being monitored so I will not be completely open and free to be true to my real feelings. Still…
The real purpose of the spying is not national security or to catch criminals. That may have been the original purpose. The current purpose is to know who is or will become a problem for the government. It will be used for proactive interdiction, sort of like Minority Report. When everyone knows that every thing they do is being watched and analyzed how can they descent against government moves at repression?
We have let the fox guard the hen house. And we are the hens.

Irvan JohnsonTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 12:17 pm

To waste their time obtaining personal mail, photos, ect. pisses me off. They need to be taking care of GOVERNMENTAL BUSINESS and EARN THEIR KEEP.

louis dahdahTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 2:20 pm

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IS BEST TO INVEST IN ,GOLD &SILVER SHOULD WE BUY THE STOCKS,OR THE REAL THING . THE TROUBLE IS WITH THE UNETHICALOF THE SELLERS .WHICH COMPANY’S SHOULD WE BUY FROM& IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME.
thank you

RichTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 2:50 pm

Still buying good dividend paying stocks and ETF’s. Some great Preferred shares, but must be selective. Staying away from bonds.
Gold/silver- some insurance only.
Prefer moving cash out of country. Yes, some hoops to jump through, but sleep better at night. Also, foreign real estate in selected areas. My 2Cents.

PhyllisoficalTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 3:00 pm

Big Brother is here.

Prefer not ot sayTuesday, July 8, 2014 at 11:33 pm

The big question is why? Whats the point? There could be only one reason. The US and the rest of the world is going towards complete totalitarian control. They want to know everything about everyone to profile people who may be a threat to big brother. These include people who consider themselves constituationalists. Tea party activists and anyone who might stand up and oppose big brother like our four fathers did. Look for the day when these groups are targeted and their guns confiscated when and if big brother trys to turn the world into a sick version of 1984. Some people wouldnt believe the technology that exists that if exploited could change our whole way of life overnight. I hope I never see the day and until that day comes ill be charging head first into the markets to make every dime I can to prepare

PeterWSaturday, July 19, 2014 at 2:49 pm

Spying on People is a fear tool and a repressive response. Spying on Corporations is a profit response.

Spying on People is an advance indication of the demise of a Nation, and others who practice so Called Democracies.

Democracies is a misnomer, the correct spelling is Demonocracies for numerous reasons, as I have pointed out multiple times, in multiple ways.

The overwhelming factor is the God’s Intelligent Structural Design’s laws are immutable, but one can find a way to hide them, but for how long, as God’s Intelligent Structural Design always demands greater responsibility.

For every grain of Knowledge received, comes a equal grain of responsibility, we have accepted the knowledge, but refuted the responsibility.

Thus, we are experiencing Gods Intelligent Structural Design’s Punishment. It will destroy all Democracies, especially the leader, the USA.